Christmas Island (Jimmy Buffett album)
Christmas Island is Jimmy Buffett's first Christmas album and is his twenty-first studio album overall. It features covers of popular Christmas songs in Buffett's musical stylings as well as two tracks which Buffett wrote for the album. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" is a hidden track. It was his last release with MCA Records.
| Christmas Island | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 8, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | June-August 1996 | |||
| Studio | Javelina "The Big Pig" studio in Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:31 | |||
| Label | Margaritaville Records, MCA MCAD-11489 (U.S., CD) | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Jimmy Buffett chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Reviews tend to be mixed for the album. In a positive review, a reviewer states that "[Christmas Island] will have you on your feet all through the holidays."[1] Rob O'Connor states that "this may not be the traditional Christmas fare of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but for those who enjoy ocean breezes and 'wasting away' to this most successful beach bum, Christmas Island is exactly what the cruise director ordered."[2] Thom Owens presents a more negative view of the album, describing Buffett as being "relaxed and entertaining" even though, "few of his new Christmas songs are remarkable and his rearrangements of classic carols are rather forced."[1][3] However, several tracks remain very popular around the Christmas season. "Ho Ho Ho & A Bottle Of Rum" was the track chosen to be played live for promoting the album when first released, and seems to remain the most popular off the album. Although no singles were released, "Jingle Bells", "Mele Kalikimaka", "Ho Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum", "Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home)" and the title track get considerable amount of radio airplay during the season. Another Buffett song, "Christmas in the Caribbean" (released as a single in 1985 and later on Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads) is also known to be a favorite on radio stations.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Christmas Island" | Lyle Moraine | 2:55 |
| 2. | "Jingle Bells" | James Pierpont | 3:50 |
| 3. | "A Sailor's Christmas" |
| 5:05 |
| 4. | "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" | John Lennon | 5:35 |
| 5. | "Up on the House Top" | Traditional | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Mele Kalikimaka" | Robert Alexander Anderson | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Run Rudolph Run" |
| 2:33 |
| 8. | "Ho Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum" |
| 4:05 |
| 9. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | 4:01 | |
| 10. | "Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home)" |
| 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "A Visit from St. Nicholas" | Clement Clarke Moore | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 41:58 | ||
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Personnel
Adapted from AllMusic.[8]
Vocals and musicians
- Jimmy Buffett – all vocals, guitar
- Claudia Cummings – background vocals
- Tina Gullickson – background vocals
- Peter Mayer – background vocals
- Nadirah Shakoor – background vocals
- Robert Greenidge – Steelpan, percussion
- Roger Guth – Drums
- Ralph McDonald – Percussion
- Jim Mayer – Bass, upright bass
- Peter Mayer – Guitar, ukulele
- Tom Mitchell – Saxophone
- Greg "Fingers" Taylor – Harmonica
- Michael Utley – Keyboards
Production and design
- Alvin Booth – photography
- Jimmy Buffett – arranger
- Milton Dean – photography
- Rob Eaton – engineer, mixing
- Joe Hayden – second engineer
- Abi Hodes – photography
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Russ Kunkel – producer
- Joe Lizzi – second engineer
- John Lovell – horn arrangements
- Tom Mitchell – horn arrangements
- Jean Pagliuso – photography
- Michael Ramos – production coordination
- Sunshine Smith – coordination
- Michael Utley – arrangements, producer, string arrangements
- Brad Wilson – photography
References
- "Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffet". Borders. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013.
- O'Connor, Rob. "Christmas Island: Jimmy Buffett". Amazon.com.
- Owens, Thom. "Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffett". AllMusic.
- "Jimmy Buffett Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- "Jimmy Buffett Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- "Jimmy Buffett Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- "Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffett | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2016.